Ground pole lesson

 Worth it!! 

 

We got up super early to meet Jacel for an 8:30 am lesson to hopefully help beat the heat. And it was nice because it got me rolling and getting my day going. I don't know that we really beat the heat though. Maybe the heat but not the humidity. It's okay though. We went for a lake roll after. 

 

I tacked her up and walked her up in hand to the jump arena because she was a little on edge because Courtneys crew was there for a 730 lesson. And I'm not sure I've ever actually ridden her up there. So, we walked up and she was okay at first. They were all standing in the middle talking. I let Funny have a little look and she settled down so I got on. Of course as soon as I got on, one rider started a gymnastics line for her final part of her lesson. She picked up the canter and Funny got all up and a bit jumpy. Jacel caught onto the fact and told me to come inside and she would walk with us, so... we did. And Funny was a little jumpy but not too bad. The girl did the line twice and then they were all done. Jacel said "I love you guys and you're great but this is a baby horse and she's nervous so now y'all have to get out". ha ha. So they left. Which also made Funny a bit nervous, so... I was walking her and she was getting jiggy so Jacel told me to trot. She said to just "move her feet". 

   

So we did... we power trotted and then we started to do figure 8's and Jacel said to take it even farther and do circles around fences and create different patterns. Change it up so she has to pay attention. And it worked. And... then she settled into a nice forward trot that was more balanced not just frantic. Ahhh, this I like better. Forward is great but out of balance forward isn't as much fun. 

 

So we took a breather and Jacel had me walk over some ground poles she had set up. Funny squirted around them the first time but then was fine. We trotted through them a few times and she was a little draggy with the hind feet. Jacel told me that while Funny was lovely, she was longer backed than Dan so I would have to encourage her to sit up and reach with the hind end. She told me to swing my hips a bit while we trotted through the poles to encourage her to step up and under. Ahhhh, it works! Cool! We also talked about steering. And yay.. this is what I was wanting to make sure I was correct on. I was guiding her through turns using my inside leg. Which, confused me a little because I know I want her to move into my inside leg and turn around my inside leg but sometimes I feel like I need to use my outside leg to push her. BUT... if I use my inside leg and then take both to the outside to help her turn and guide her shoulders, it helps her stand upright and keep all four legs undeneath her. And then if she gets a little fishtaily, which she does, then the outside hind leg can come into play and help turn her hiney around. So yay. I am doing it right, but adding the hands to the mix was helping. 

 

So then we picked up the canter. It was a bit chaotic but not bad. But man it's hard in that jump saddle. She's so bouncy. I really was struggling to keep from bouncing with her. So then we did a little ground pole course at the trot. It was about 7 "jumps" with some turns. And Funny was sooooo good. She just trotted right through them like a little rockstar. She even jumped two of them and landed in a soft little canter for a stride or two. We did it 3 times and she was a bit squirrely the 2nd time but redeemed herself the third. Then we tried another canter. She ran into it the first time so Jacel told me to sit back and to the outside and be brave and ask a bit more forcefully so she sits and leaps into it vs runs into it. Eeeeeks, but okay! And it worked. Although the second direction she bucked into the canter. Ha ha. But I stuck it. Good girl! And the moving both hands to the outside was helping although she definitely wants to fall in worse to one side. 

So then after our lesson I took her saddle off and pulled off my boots and we rode bareback to the lake. She was a good girl and almost trotted to the lake the last little bit. Just like big brother. Cannonball! She immediately got in and dropped and rolled a few times. And then she splashed a bit and then she was out and heading home. Okay. :) Pool parties aren't as much fun when you're by yourself. And she was also probably pretty tired. So we hacked back to the trailer. 

 

Mackenzie was just finishing her lesson and afterwards I was going to adjust and acupuncture him, so it was good timing. Funny got a rinse and some water. She just wanted to play with it though.. she didn't really drink it. When Mack took Synergy away to go hose him Funny starting dancing on the end of the lead rope. So... we decided that while I was working on Syn, we would just put Funny in the trailer. And then because it was drier over by me, we tied Syn up to my trailer. Funny was a flirty girl and kept sticking her nose at him and then squealing. Hee hee. Like 30 times. But she was good and eventually settled. 

 

And then we went home and she gets a whole week off now while I go to the beach!